Ecological niche divergence contributes species differentiation in worm lizards (Blanus sp.) (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae) in Mediterranean part of Anatolian peninsula and the Levantine region

Şahin, Mehmet Kürşat; Candan, Kamίl; Caynak, Elif Yıldırım; Kumlutaş, Yusuf; Ilgaz, Çetίn

doi:10.2478/s11756-020-00548-1

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Competition is a significant force, able to lead to one of the competitor's extinction if the differences between the utilized resources are insufficient (Gauze 1934;MacArthur 1970;Pianka 1976;Şahin et al 2020), or to niche shift and character displacement, if the adaptive strategy is mutual avoidance of the competing species (Grant 1972;Pianka 1976). The distance between the resource utilization curve peaks should exceed the average standard deviation of the curves to prevent competitive exclusion if resources are limited (MacArthur and Levins 1967;Begon et al 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale analysis of habitat occupancy by Kura lizard (Darevskia portschinskii) and its daughter parthenogenetic form (Darevskia dahli)

Barateli¹,

Tarkhnishvili²,

Iankoshvili³

et al. 2021

Herpetozoa

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Two species of rock lizards, the parthenogenetic D. dahli and the sexually reproducing D. portschinskii, coexist in a rocky outcrop in an area of ca. 1 ha, in the vicinity of Tbilisi, Georgia; the location has been well-known since the middle 1960s. The population density of the parthenogenetic lizard is five times higher than that of the sexual breeder. We studied the distribution of active lizards in space and time over three consecutive years, during the spring and autumn activity periods, to explore spatial and temporal differences between the species on a fine spatial scale. We studied the influence of temperature, humidity, and quantitative characteristics of the surface and the distance from permanent water source on the spatial distribution of D. dahli and D. portschinskii. Darevskia portschinskii was less dependent on the distance from the water source and more evenly distributed in space and time than D. dahli. Despite potential competitive interactions, the species did not avoid each other on the microhabitat scale, suggesting that the observed ecological differences are not caused by a niche shift. More individuals of the sexual breeder than individuals of the parthenogen were found in suboptimal habitats. This feature may increase the evolutionary success of D. portschinskii in a long-term perspective.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale analysis of habitat occupancy by Kura lizard (Darevskia portschinskii) and its daughter parthenogenetic form (Darevskia dahli)

Barateli¹,

Tarkhnishvili²,

Iankoshvili³

et al. 2021

Herpetozoa

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“…Species’ ecological niches, like morphological traits, evolve via natural selection, thus altering their ecological niches and geographic potential through time (Engler et al, 2021). These processes are particularly important for diversification among closely related species, as niche divergence and diversification can lead to or reinforce speciation (Hu et al, 2015; Cuervo et al, 2021; Şahin et al, 2021). Such ecological shifts can lead to dramatic shifts in geographic distributional potential, and may follow predictable patterns through evolutionary time (Cobos et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological niche divergence or ecological niche partitioning in a widespread Neotropical bird lineage

Cooper

2024

Preprint

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Ecological niche divergence is generally considered to be a facet of evolution that may accompany geographic isolation and diversification in allopatry, contributing to species' evolutionary distinctiveness through time. The null expectation for any two diverging species in geographic isolation is that of niche conservatism, wherein populations do not rapidly shift to or adapt to novel environments. Here, I test ecological niche divergence for a widespread, pan-American lineage, the avian genus of martins (Progne). Despite containing species with distributions that go from continent-spanning to locally endemic, I found limited evidence for niche divergence across the breeding distributions of Progne, and much stronger support for niche conservatism with patterns of niche partitioning. The ancestral Progne had a relatively broad ecological niche, similar to extant basal Progne lineages, and several geographically localized descendant species occupy only portions of the larger ancestral Progne niche. I recovered strong evidence of breeding niche divergence for four of 36 taxon pairs but only one of these divergent pairs involved two widespread, continental species (Southern Martin P. elegans vs. Gray-breasted Martin P. chalybea). Potential niche expansion from the ancestral species was observed in the most wide-ranging present-day species, namely the North American Purple Martin P. subis and P. chalybea. I analyzed populations of P. subis separately, as a microcosm of Progne evolution, and again found only limited evidence of niche divergence. This study adds to the mounting evidence for niche conservatism as a dominant feature of diversifying lineages. Even taxa that appear unique in terms of habitat or behavior may still not be diversifying with respect to their ecological niches, but merely partitioning ancestral niches among descendant taxa.

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“…Each species often has unique ecological niche characteristics and as a result of it, ecological needs differ even for sympatric or sister species (Soberon and Peterson, 2005). Quantifying and visualizing the effects of spatial and temporal ecological patterns on speciation processes have contributed to our knowledge of interactions between species and their environments (Jezkova and Wiens, 2018;Kurnaz et al, 2019;Şahin et al, 2021). In the last two decades, Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) was frequently used to better understand these processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological niche differentiation in the Anatolian rock lizards (Genus: Anatololacerta) (Reptilia: Lacertidae) of the Anatolian Peninsula and Aegean Islands

Şahin

Candan²,

Karakasi³

et al. 2022

Acta Herpetol.

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The genus Anatololacerta is distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region including Asia Minor and some east Aegean islands. Recent phylogenetic studies suggested that this genus displayed cryptic diversity and was divided into five species: A. anatolica, A. pelasgiana, A. ibrahimi, A. finikensis and A. danfordi. The ecological niche differentiations of these species have not been studied so far. Our aims for this study were to predict the potential suitable habitats for the species nested in genus Anatololacerta, and to examine the niche overlaps and differentiations via identity and background tests. The occurrence data were obtained from literature and our own field surveys. Occurrence records were rarefied and assessed in a 30 arc-second resolution layer, compatible with several bioclimatic and topographic variables. Species distribution analyses were performed using maximum entropy approach and pairwise niche comparisons were evaluated by identity and background tests. Our results demonstrated that the species delimitation among this genus was not only affected by geographic isolation but also that precipitation and temperature influenced the habitat suitability for these species. Predicted suitability usually well matched the actual species distributions. Moreover, the niche overlap (identity test) analyses verified that allopatric Anatololacerta species show clear ecological differentiations. However, a niche overlap between parapatric species A. pelasgiana and A. finikensis, was confirmed by identity and background tests. It has been suggested that these parapatric species could be more affected by microclimatological parameters than the others. The results of our study are in agreement with the latest phylogenetic study within this genus.

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Ecological niche divergence contributes species differentiation in worm lizards (Blanus sp.) (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae) in Mediterranean part of Anatolian peninsula and the Levantine region

Cited by 11 publications

References 49 publications

Fine-scale analysis of habitat occupancy by Kura lizard (Darevskia portschinskii) and its daughter parthenogenetic form (Darevskia dahli)

Fine-scale analysis of habitat occupancy by Kura lizard (Darevskia portschinskii) and its daughter parthenogenetic form (Darevskia dahli)

Ecological niche divergence or ecological niche partitioning in a widespread Neotropical bird lineage

Ecological niche differentiation in the Anatolian rock lizards (Genus: Anatololacerta) (Reptilia: Lacertidae) of the Anatolian Peninsula and Aegean Islands

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